UNC Basketball vs. Pitt: Game preview, info, prediction and more

The UNC Basketball program returns to action on Tuesday night looking to make it three-straight wins as they continue their hot streak. After beating N.C. State on Saturday, the Tar Heels are now 5-1 in their last six games after starting conference play at 0-2.

But Tuesday’s test get a little tougher.

Pitt is playing good basketball right now winning three of their last four including two wins over Syracuse and a home win over Duke. They did lose to Wake Forest 76-75 on Saturday but they are a team on the rise and sophomore forward Justin Champagnie is a big reason why.

The 6-foot-6, 200-pound Champagnie is playing at an All-ACC level right now averaging 19.9 points, 12.4 rebounds and shooting 53.4 percent from the field. This is a guy that UNC needs to focus on and play really damn good defense. He’s coming off a big performance against Duke a week ago, scoring a career-high 31 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.

He will certainly be a big test for UNC’s bigs throughout the game. But while Pitt comes in playing good basketball, so are the Tar Heels.

UNC has looked much better over these past six games even in the loss to Florida State over a week ago. They appear to be playing better together as the offense is flowing and the defense is there.

That effort has been led by their freshman guard combo of Caleb Love and R.J. Davis. The duo have won back-to-back ACC Freshman of the Week awards, helping power the Tar Heels offense. Love has really turned his game around as well, scoring 20 points in the win over Wake Forest and then 15 over N.C. State. Love is playing with a lot of confidence and appears to have turned the corner this season.

Let’s get into our preview:

Key to Victory for UNC

Slow down Champagnie. This is the bottom line, you have to do this in order to win. The forward has been fantastic all season long for Pitt and is a contender to be the ACC Player of the Year so far.

This should be a good test for UNC’s forwards as we could see Garrison Brooks, Day’Ron Sharpe and even Leaky Black on him.  If I were to bet, Black would start the game out on him as he’s UNC’s best defender this season. If Black can do a good job and limit Champagnie to under 15 points, UNC should have a good shot in this game.

But easier said than done.

Something to watch

Can Love continue his hot play? This has by far been the best stretch of Love’s brief career with the Tar Heels, scoring 35 in his last two. He’s playing a lot better and isn’t settling for bad shots on the offensive end. Yes, he’s still struggling shooting 31% from the field but he’s getting better and building confidence.

Tuesday is another opportunity for Love to shine and possibly lead UNC to a victory. He will be a key in this one if the Tar Heels want to win. Let’s see if he can not only keep up the scoring but also help create opportunities for his teammates on the offensive end.

What you need to know

WHAT? North Carolina (10-5, 5-3 in ACC) at Wake Forest (8-3, 4-2 in ACC)
WHEN? Tuesday, January 26 @ 7 p.m. ET
WHERE? Peterson Events Center in Pittsburgh
TV? ACCN
RADIO? Tar Heels Sports Network
LINE? UNC -3.5
LAST MEETING? Pitt beat UNC 66-52 on January 18th
ALL-TIME SERIES? UNC leads 14-4
PREDICTION? UNC 77, Pitt 74

For more on the UNC Basketball program, please make sure to check back with Keeping It Heel.